Rants with Sami – Iron Flame Edition

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

OMG, besties, I *finally* finished **Iron Flame**, and whew… we need to talk. Buckle up. 🚨⚡️

So, first of all, Rebecca Yarros really said, “Oh, you thought you knew pain? Here’s some more.” Like, excuse me?!? The PLOT TWISTS had me gasping like I just sprinted up a hill (which, let’s be real, I wouldn’t do). 🫣 Every chapter felt like a new betrayal—or a new *ahem* spicy moment. 🔥

Violet? ICON. She’s still serving her usual badassery, but now she’s like, “Let me also give you character growth and emotional damage at the same time.” GIRL. MY HEART. 😭 And then there’s Xaden—ugh, that man remains the walking definition of “emotionally unavailable but dangerously hot.” I’d fight for him, but also fight *him* because his choices this time? Sir, DO BETTER. 🖤😤

Oh, and the DRAGONS. 🐉 They’re the real MVPs. Tairn and Andarna just casually showing up with sass and wisdom like, “We’re the parents now, humans.” I’d adopt them both if they didn’t already own my soul.

But here’s where I’m gonna get petty. 🤏 The pacing? Kinda wobbly in the middle. Like, girl, we don’t need *that much* training montage. We get it—life at Basgiath is hard. 🏋️‍♀️ Also, the cliffhanger? I AM SUING. Immediately jumping into Onyx Storm because what the hell was that?! 🤬

In summary: 9/10, because it broke me in the best way, but also… Rebecca, you owe me therapy. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Just stock up on snacks and tissues, and maybe warn your family you’ll be screaming into pillows for a week. ✨📚

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Blurb:

“The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.” —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.